Functional microanatomical model of meissner corpuscle from finite element model to mechano-transduction

Abstract

A multi-scale framework of human tactile sensation has been developed. The framework consists of two mechanical stages and a postprocessing stage. In the first stage, a fingerpad and a stimulus are modelled. The second stage contains a slab of skin containing a Meissner corpuscle. The mechanical output of the second stage is processed by a mechanosensory channel activation model and a spike generator. To our knowledge, this is the first framework linking different levels of sensory processing from mechano-transduction to spike-train comparison. The results of the model are compared to the microneurographical data of a RA1 mechanosensory afferent fibre. The framework could be used as a tool for studying the finger pad-surface interaction in scientific and industrial communities related to touch.